After Losing McLaren, Alpine Taking a Cautious Approach To Future Partner F1 Teams

Alpine will be open to the prospect of having partnerships as they begin their new journey in F1. During its change, the team lost its last customer team with Mclaren as they moved on to a Mercedes power unit for the new year, and before that their partnership with Red Bull had ended.

Cyril Abiteboul was happy to focus on the team itself but did consider adding a partner team during his time with the team but parted ways during the change of the team. However, Alpine’s new CEO Laurent Rossi would have open arms for a partner team in the future.

Alpine has an open mind going into the future but not currently on the hunt for one

Rossi said, “We are open to the idea, we’re not necessarily looking for one, I think a partner team would be nice to have but not a must have, because we’re building on the current F1 team, we need full autonomy, full independence and full dedication to the F1 team.”

He added, “Building a partner team could be nice to have down the road but it’s not something we’re actively seeking at the moment.”

A familiar face returns to the French team

Alpine has brought in Fernando Alonso to replace Daniel Ricciardo, who shifted to Mclaren for the 2021 season. Alonso is a two-time world champion with the French team, and this would be his third stint with them.

The veteran driver would pair alongside Esteban Ocon for the new year. The team has one of the best-looking cars on the grid, but hope that their drivers can extract the most out of the machinery.

In 2020, the team finished 5th in the constructor’s championship with 181 points. Hence the team hopes that the skills of Alonso and Ocon can take them to the front of the grid in their new chapter of Formula One. Where do you think the team will end up in their first season as Alpine?

Also Read: Alpine Exécutive Director, Marcin Budkowski, Hopes to Learn From and Replicate Ferrari